Which is tastier, barbecue hash slow-cooked in a cast-iron kettle or classic blues guitar work served up in intimate surroundings?

Hordes descend on downtown Greenwood each July to find their own answers to that question at the Festival of Discovery. The three-day festival runs Thursday through Saturday and has plenty of the standard festival fare of arts, crafts, a hot dog eating contest and amusement rides. What lures people from outside Greenwood County, however, are the barbecue and the blues.

If you prefer the music, take the Blues Cruise any night of the festival. You can stop in at numerous eateries and businesses where blues musicians will play in intimate settings, or at the main stage for slightly larger crowds. All of the sites are along Main or Maxwell streets and are in walking distance of each other.

The acts this year include Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley, Shirley Johnson & Maurice John Vaughn, Juke Joint Johnny & The Hurricanes and Shrimp City Slim.

As for the barbecue, top cooks from throughout the South will compete for top honors in the festival’s contest. Festivalgoers are the big winners when they can sample the entries during the Tasters Choice Event from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. One of the specialties at the festival is hash cooked in large cast-iron kettles. Hash typically includes a variety of hog parts. Don’t ask for details, just enjoy the sweet, funky taste of hash over rice.